Oregon Army National Guard soldiers, helicopters help fight Logging Unit wildfire near Madras

About 40 soldiers, two Blackhawk helicopters and two Chinook helicopters from the Oregon Army National Guard have joined the effort to fight the Logging Unit complex of wildfires west of Madras.

The complex is made up of five fires that began on July 16. The recent cooler weather and Guard help have allowed crews to make progress building firelines over the last couple of days, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

The lightning-caused complex has grown to about 10,350 acres and was about 20 percent contained Wednesday with a total of 1,100 people working on it.

The wildfire had threatened 60 residences belonging to members of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs.